- 4 cups heavy cream
- Dash salt
- 2/3 cups sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- Zest of one orange
- 12 egg yolks
- Pour 2 cups of heavy cream in a saucepan.
- Split vanilla bean in half and scrape out seeds. Put seeds and pods into cream in pan.
- Add sugar, salt, and orange zest.
- Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- When cream boils, remove from heat and allow to steep for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Add remaining 2 cups of cream to steeped cream.
- Crack egg yolks into a bowl and whisk.
- Whisk cream mixture into yolks.
- Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into eight 4 to 5 ounce ramekins.
- Place ramekins in a 9 x 13 cake pan lined with a towel.
- Place pan in oven.
- Pour several cups of boiling water into the cake pan, being careful not to splash it into ramekins.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until custard is set in center but still wiggles around the middle.
- Remove from water bath to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature for about 2 hours.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.
- Sprinkle the tops of custards with about 1 teaspoon of sugar and caramelize with a kitchen torch.
The Modern Ancestor 